1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bibs, and more specifically to a bib providing privacy and convenience for a mother and her baby while nursing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nursing mothers agree that keeping a timely breast feeding routine is often a significant challenge when other obligations and schedules conflict with a baby's needs. Today's baby often has to share its mother's attention with a job, shopping, social activities and other time consuming matters. Thus, a session of nursing is sometimes a catch-as-catch-can affair. In one common scenario, the mother finds herself in a public place when the baby is hungry. In the past, decorum required a retreat from public view, perhaps to a rest room or other private place. Despite the more relaxed attitude toward nursing in public modernly enjoyed by busy American mothers, most continue to prefer maintenance of some level of modesty while attending to maternal duties. Therefore, feeding is often simply carried out under a blanket draped from the mother's shoulders down over the nursing child. However, this method risks somewhat more exposure of the nursing act than may be acceptable. For example, the position of a freely draped blanket may be caused to shift during the performance of certain hygienic duties carried out thereunder. And further, blankets have a tendency to slip off at particularly inopportune moments.
Often, it is also necessary to have such items as tissues or towels, nursing pads for prevention of dampening of the brassiere, and perhaps baby bottles close at hand. It is further desireable to store this equipment in a way such that it remains accessible and ready for use without exposing it to the view of others.
Various bibs are well known for the purpose of covering the front of the torso of a wearer. These normally serve a protective purpose, a particularly broad range of bib designs having been directed to keeping food off the wearer's clothing. Babies' bibs are perhaps most common. Some, as exemplified by babies' bibs disclosed in Takefman U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,086 and Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,321, include a pocket or trough across the bottom. However, even if these bibs were made in a size appropriate to cover a nursing mother's baby, they would be, at best, awkward and unsightly to use. Further, even if they were worn with their troughs to the inside, the equipment needed by a nursing mother could not be stored handily therein.
Bibs for adult use are also known, one example being an ornamental bib shown in Kahn U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,225. Kahn's bib is short and narrow, and therefore unsuitable for covering a nursing baby. Neither does is have pockets to hold needed accessories. Another bib, directed to use in feeding either children or the adult handicapped includes a trough across its bottom as shown in Bible U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,779. Bible's bib is made of stiff, clear plastic and is therefore unsuitable for privacy while nursing.
Adult torso coverings also include aprons, one example being the device disclosed in Bull, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,979, wherein detachable appliques picturing toy animals, and the like, are removably bound to the apron's front. Bull's apron has front and rear panels with cords to tie the apron securely around the torso of the wearer. Pockets are provided across the bottom of the front panel to hold appliques when detached. However, when the front and back panels of Bull's apron are bound snugly to the body of the wearer by their cords as in normal use, private nursing thereunder is not facilitated.
At least one prior device has addressed a few of the concerns and details to which a mother must attend while nursing. Heiler U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,349 discloses a breast feeding sling having a sleeve through which the mother's arm passes. Panels cover the mother's lap and baby, and a small pocket is provided for tissues. One apparent drawback of this device is that it binds one of the nursing mother's arms into a sleeve-like fabric loop at the lower edge of the sling, this appearing to be restrictive of movement.
None of the foregoing articles effectively permit a mother to nurse privately and comfortably within the view of others while retaining the ability to perform hygienic duties such as drying or cleaning the breasts and baby. Neither does any provide room enough underneath for operation of breast pump equipment and pockets for storage of baby bottles. Nor do any of the foregoing give the appearance that the mother is merely wearing a conventional article of clothing, thereby diverting attention from the fact that nursing is being carried out thereunder.